crush

1 of 2

verb

crushed; crushing; crushes

transitive verb

1
a
: to squeeze or force by pressure so as to alter or destroy structure
crush grapes
b
: to squeeze together into a mass
She crushed her clothes into a bag.
2
: to reduce to particles by pounding or grinding
crush rock
3
a
: to subdue completely
The rebellion was crushed.
b
: to cause overwhelming emotional pain to (someone)
Her insults crushed him.
c
: to oppress or burden grievously
crushed by debt
d
: to suppress or overwhelm as if by pressure or weight
4
: crowd, push
were crushed into the elevator
5
: hug, embrace
She crushed her child to her breast.
6
archaic : drink

intransitive verb

1
: to advance with or as if with crushing
The crowd crushed ruthlessly toward the exit.
2
: to become crushed
The stewed tomatoes crush easily.
3
obsolete : crash
4
informal : to experience an intense and usually passing infatuation : to have a crush on someone
usually used with on
She's been crushing on him all summer.
Turns out Fat Monica was motivated to lose all the weight after she overhead Chandler (whom she was crushing on) tell Ross: "I don't want to be stuck here all night with your fat sister."Entertainment Weekly
crushable adjective
crusher noun
crushingly adverb

crush

2 of 2

noun

1
: an intense and usually passing infatuation
have a crush on someone
also : the object of infatuation
2
a
: crowd, mob
especially : a crowd of people pressing against one another
b
: a crowding together (as of people)
3
: an act of crushing
4
: the quantity of material crushed
crushproof adjective
Choose the Right Synonym for crush

crowd, throng, horde, crush, mob mean an assembled multitude.

crowd implies a close gathering and pressing together.

a crowd gathered

throng and horde suggest movement and pushing.

a throng of reporters
a horde of shoppers

crush emphasizes the compactness of the group, the difficulty of individual movement, and the attendant discomfort.

a crush of fans

mob implies a disorderly crowd with the potential for violence.

an angry mob

Examples of crush in a Sentence

Verb Unfortunately some of the flowers got crushed when we were moving them. The bicycle was crushed under the truck's tires. The machine crushes the cans so that they can be stored until they are recycled. Her arm was crushed in the accident. Crush the nuts and sprinkle them on top of the cake. The rocks were crushed into dust. Noun Yesterday I saw my old high school crush for the first time in five years. The crush in the train station is at its worst during the afternoon rush hour. Outside the hotel stood a crush of reporters waiting for her arrival.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Mortars and pestles crushed herbs and bouillon into aromatic pastes. Melissa Alcena, New York Times, 26 Sep. 2024 Marvel's two biggest sons of bitches are coming home after crushing the box office all summer. Nick Romano, EW.com, 25 Sep. 2024
Noun
An especially fun episode takes the couple to a Jewish summer camp, where the teen girls all have crushes on Noah. Judy Berman, TIME, 26 Sep. 2024 When one of the boys invites their crush, hilarity breaks loose. Jessica Wang, EW.com, 22 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for crush 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crush.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English crusshen, from Anglo-French croissir, croistre, of Germanic origin; akin to Middle Low German krossen to crush

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of crush was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near crush

Cite this Entry

“Crush.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crush. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

crush

1 of 2 verb
1
: to squeeze together so as to break or destroy the natural shape or condition
crush grapes
2
3
: to break into fine pieces by pressing, pounding, or grinding
crush stone
4
a
: overwhelm sense 2
crushed the enemy
5
informal : to have a strong but often temporary liking
usually used with on
crusher noun

crush

2 of 2 noun
1
: an act of crushing
2
: a crowding together of many people
3
: a strong but often temporary liking : infatuation
have a crush on someone

More from Merriam-Webster on crush

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!